quote author=samvimes link=topic=53.msg1036#msg1036 date=1144383763]
1/ Thanks to some vocal and courageous teacher's requests......
Interesting to note that the main vocal and courageous teachers had their contracts terminated as a result of being brave and courageous.....
First of all, congrats to BCC on their recent winning- that is, their winning entry to the "Hall of Shame".
***Long Post Warning***I personally know and consider myself to be a personal friend of the main vocal teacher whose contract was not renewed. This teacher was probably responsible, single-handedly, for:
1. negotiating the return of the security deposit. I recall him talking about the extensive contract negotiations last year when he brought this up.
2. ensuring that the school actually gave the 40 holidays promised in the contract. Said teacher took it upon himself to actually count the holidays and determined that BCC was only giving 33 days. After several minor discussions about this issue, NONE of which were held with or responded to by the board, he was finally told that the 40 days promised in the contract were, "...just a guideline." The school eventually issued a new calendar, moving the last day of school from 30 March to 20 March. Interestingly enough- the calendar was one of the few things in writing. They HAD to change it. When they did, they snuck in three extra Saturday/afterschool events.
3. ensuring that the previous requirement to work however many Saturdays, evenings and after school hours as the board demanded was renegotiated to ONLY(?) 8 additional days. The school refused to put this in the contract after agreeing to it in a meeting last year, a meeting attended by said teacher, the farang EIP administrator and 2 Thai administrators. Said teacher repeatedly reminded the school about their verbal agreement, as the number of extra days crept up to 15 extra days, including a mandatory summer camp for four 24 hour days added at the last minute. The school ended up grudgingly stating at the LAST MINUTE, that attendance was NOT mandatory for many of those days. The extra summer camp days still brought it over 8 days.
4. fighting to get the word "normally" excised from several people's contract, as in "...will normally be required to work 22 hours...".
5. fighting to get "spouse" added to the list of family members whose death earns one a holiday. The school actually refused to put that in the contract.
6. fighting to have clarified what the top pay rate is, in light of the fact that teachers were told, in their contracts, that their pay would increase until they "...reached the top of the relevant pay scale...". The school agreed to this, then refused to tell teachers what that rate is.
Some other assorted crap:
1. We who attended the summer camp were told we would get 3300 baht for the 4 days (kind of cheap, yes?). Turns out, we were given 2000 baht- because we were told after the fact that we had to pay for our own rooms! WTF!!??
2. Our Thai coordinator was another vindictive type, losing papers (the science department never got any money this year, because she lost the budget request- TWICE!!). She lost some of the midterm exams, but still managed to assign a grade to the students- she gave them their grade in physical education as their science grade.
3. Thai coordinator was also a thief- my outspoken friend arranged a trip to the new aquarium, with a behind the scenes tour, boat ride, workbooks, an English speaking guide (the students are forbidden to speak Thai in the EIP program), etc., all for 280 baht. It was refused. He was told to do it the next week, after she called and renegotiated the price. She managed to get the price down to 200 baht- but lost the tour, the boat ride, the workbooks and the English speaking guide, basically, gutting the educational value of the trip. My friend was given the cash to pay for the tickets. The receipt from the aquarium showed the price: 150 baht!! He pressed her several times to account for the remaining 50 baht. Excuse #1: it?s to pay for the BTS ride. Fact: the students paid themselves, at the BTS. Excuse #2: BCC has to pay 50 baht more than Thai government schools, who only have to pay 100 baht. Fact: this has nothing to do with the increase from 150 to 200 baht. And the final excuse? The students are lying, they got their money back. Fact: No, they were asking themselves about the money.
Pitiful, stealing from kids. But, when your role model is the BCC admin, what can one expect.
BCC did pay what they were supposed to on 20 March- but, they went back and forth many times on whether they would or not. And, as another poster mentioned, they did pay last year, so this was not any kind of bonus.
Every issue goes through the farang EIP administrator, so there was/is never any direct response from the board, no responsibility, no chance for questions- even though meetings were requested several times this year.
Bear in mind that, according to him, said teacher negotiated many items with the school and was told several times that those items would be put in a rider to be attached to last year?s contract. That just did not happen. The administration apparently had quite a bug up their respective asses regarding this teacher, one of many bona fide teachers with good credentials, experience, good classroom management skills, a degree in education, etc. He was refused his copy of his teacher's license, he had to fight to get and keep his work permit and, according to him?
?he was just screwed out of his non-imm B visa by a person whose name I shall bleep out: Pra-bleep.
Last year, Pra-bleep made an error and made sure that some people?s visa expired at the end of March, rather than at the end of April, when the contract expires. We were all told last year that he couldn?t fix it then, but Pra-bleep assured us that he would get a 1 month extension in March and then a 1 year extension at the end of April.
My friend has been complaining rather loudly all year that somebody was going to get screwed- and it now looks like he is one of them. He was taken by Pra-bleep to immigration on 20 March to get his extension. This was after I sat with my friend for over 2 hours in Pra-bleep?s office, with Pra-bleep saying my friend would have to do it 31 March, knowing all the while that my friend was leaving the country THAT AFTERNOON. Turns out, when they got to immigration, Pra-bleep ?forgot? one of the necessary forms from MoE. ?Sorry cannot do, come back 31 March?. My friend told him that was impossible, just give him papers to get a new non-imm B. After much excuse making, Pra-bleep gave him papers to go to SINGAPORE and told him that BCC would pay the cost of the visa- but that?s all.
Now, the defenders will say that was mighty white of good ol? Pra-bleep. However, BCC is contracted to provide all paperwork throughout the contract- which they did not do for my friend. Rather a nasty, petty, vindictive thing to do- but, that is the passive-aggressive experience that we who are still at BCC still enjoy.
My friend decided not to go to Singapore, but instead cut short his holiday and returned the following week to tell Pra-bleep to take him to immi on 31 March. ?Cannot, still not have paper from MoE? he was told. Oddly enough, the secretary was picking up the paperwork for other teachers at that moment. Then, it was learned that Pra-bleep was taking holiday- STARTING 31 MARCH! The slimy barstard never had any intention of renewing the visa for the whining farang.
Most of the other crap can be dealt with- this screwing around with somebody?s livelihood is deliberate, inexcusable and reprehensible.
The school OFFERS good money and provides a nice physical environment. It's a great place to work if empty platitudes and a Hoolywood-storefront approach to education satisfy you. That doesn?t make any of the nonsense the right thing to do. Excused because they are better than many other schools? Just because a pile of dog shit is smaller than a pile of elephant shit doesn?t make it any better than a pile of shit.
Topic: Bangkok Christian College (Read 28569 times)